The present invention relates to a coordinate measuring machine and a sensor head comprising a first changing interface for coupling the sensor head with a carrier structure of the coordinate measuring machine. In addition, the present invention relates to a corresponding carrier structure element and to a corresponding sensor head. Finally, the present invention relates to a magazine location associated with a coordinate measuring machine.
Methods for changing sensor heads in coordinate measuring machines and corresponding devices are known, for example, from document WO 2008/132484 A1.
Different techniques for changing sensor heads and coordinate measuring machines are known.
Changing interfaces for automatically changing sensors or carrier systems are widely spread, such as, for example, on Zeiss® turn-swivel joints such as, for instance, the models marketed under the designations RTS, DSE or CSC by the applicant. This is also known in the case of measuring carrier systems such as, for example, Zeiss® VAST, VAST XT etc., here as a rule only a disk with a passive stylus being exchanged. As a rule, such a changing interface consists of a device which makes it possible to connect a sensor head both mechanically and, where applicable, electrically. Mechanical connection or separation is often effected as a result of magnetic forces or as a result of an automatically driven mechanical closure. Electrical connection is effected, as a rule, as a result of resilient contacts which also produce an electric connection in the mechanically connected state.
In addition, automatic changing interfaces for the mechanism are known with radio transmission for data communication. In this connection, the electronics provided in a sensor can be supplied by means of a battery or contacts on the carrier system with electric energy.
Manual changing interfaces for turn-swivel joints and sensor heads, which are fastened by means of a mechanical screwing or clamping mechanism, are known over and above this.
In this case, only the two first-mentioned methods are suitable for automatic changing. In the event of radio transmission, problems frequently arise in this case as the data cannot be transmitted along transmission paths reliably in real time and in the desired form. Examples of this, for example, are gigabit cameras as sensors where the required data amounts cannot be transmitted, or for example white light sensors which require a special optical wave guide as transmission medium.
Mechanical changing interfaces, over and above this, often comprise too few available lines through the carrier structure. The quality of such a line with reference to requirements such as CAT-5, CAT-6, CAT-7, the line cross section, the line length, the wave impedance and/or the damping can also be insufficient. Often required transmission paths are just not there and are not realizable in the existing mechanical surroundings, e.g. optical wave guides in the different required forms as mono-mode fibers or multi-mode fibers. The required different types of optical wave guides with their respective minimum bending radii and maximum coupling losses do not allow for integration in known turn-swivel joints or make it extremely difficult. On account of this, modern sensors with particular physical and/or technical data requirements are frequently only exchangeable on known changing interfaces of coordinate measuring machines in a manual manner.
Consequently, there is a need for a possibility of being able to change-in and operate in an automatic manner different modern sensor heads, both of an optical and tactile design, with corresponding physical and/or technical data requirements, in particular on existing changing interfaces of carrier structures of coordinate measuring machines without impairing the function of previous sensors and at the same time ensuring the previous measuring accuracy. Being able to recognize an individual changed-in sensor head as provided hitherto and being able to reproduce a corresponding changing interface with reference to the arrangement of the elements with respect to one another should also continue to be provided.
An object of the present invention is consequently to provide a correspondingly improved method, an improved sensor head, an improved carrier structure element, an improved magazine location and a correspondingly improved coordinate measuring machine.